The Funeral
by Fish Bag
Summary: Short & sweet and self-explanatory. RIP Edward Herrmann


RIP Edward Herrmann

Not sure what this is, exactly, but it's brought to you today by my unwitting muse coffeedrinker and my posting hound deepfriedcake. Blame them.

* * *

They trickled steadily into the church single file, unconsciously filtering to one side or the other based roughly along socio-economic lines. Recent years had seen a smoothing and blending of those lines within the Gilmore family, but they still filled the rows as though they were attending an old-style wedding instead of a funeral. Except in this case, instead of a groom's side and a bride's side, it was Hartford upper-crust following conventional mourning rituals on one side, Stars Hollow townies sharing their beloved friends' grief on the other.

Rory's world, as always, bridged the chasm. Her two oldest friends were living proof of that. Lane, alongside a stoic Mrs. Kim, waited in respectful silence at one end of a pew. Across the aisle, Paris and Doyle had strategically and tactlessly seated themselves between Richard's medical team and Rory's New York Times colleagues and were quietly networking away.

Christopher didn't have to think twice about where to sit. He knew his place. He ushered his mother into a pew near the back, behind the Vanderheims, Aunt Totsy and Cousin Marilyn, then sat down himself and patted the wooden bench for his 11 year old daughter to join him. This was Gigi's first funeral, and she was nervous and uncomfortable, but her half-sister had lost her beloved grandfather, so she came to pay her respects.

Gigi's eyes darted around the church. She seemed to be the only child in attendance. Diagonally across and closer to the front sat Sookie and Jackson, but they had left their four kids at home. Instead, they sat with Michel. After a bit of a squabble, he and Tobin had flipped a coin to determine which one of them would get to attend the funeral, and which one would stay home with their chows and their newly adopted son. Lane, Liz and Kirk were also spouse-less, as flu season in the Hollow left Zack, TJ and Lulu each stuck at home with a sick daughter. But none of them came alone. Like Lane, Kirk brought his mother, who simply enjoyed attending funerals, and Liz was escorted by her grown son, who had dropped everything to be there as soon as he heard the tragic news. Babette &amp; Morey, Patty &amp; Ricardo, Taylor, Andrew &amp; Gypsy, Mrs. Cassini, Reverend Skinner and Rabbi Barans filled up the surrounding pews, along with just about every staff person from the Dragonfly Inn.

Everyone stood as the six immediate family members walked in. Rory unlinked from her mother and grandmother and walked to the podium in order to begin the eulogy.

Rory glanced only fleetingly toward Christopher and Gigi. While she appreciated their efforts to attend, they were just not a particular source of comfort to her. Skimming that side of the room, she was unaffected by the sight of the Huntzbergers as well. Rory had figured Shira and Mitchum would show up, and Logan had had the good grace to send her a Facebook message asking if she would be upset if he accompanied his parents. She replied honestly that both she and her grandfather would approve of his being there.

Rory then looked over to opposite side of the room. She caught sight of a familiar shock of dark hair and locked her blue eyes onto Jess' brown ones. In return, she received a wink, accompanied by a crooked smile that conveyed more than any words ever could. It was a remarkably meaningful nonverbal exchange between two people renowned for their language skills. Rory answered with a knowing nod subtle enough to be missed by everyone else in attendance.

Finally, Rory stared at the five people sitting immediately in front of her, and exhaled deeply. She could do this. She had been chosen to deliver this eulogy on their behalves, and she would not let them down. Today she would speak _about_ her grandfather, but she would speak _for_ them:

For her grandmother, who was too shocked and devastated to speak herself. Emily had been making plans for a 50th wedding anniversary celebration next month, but instead ended up planning a funeral. Rory would convey for her all the depth and beauty of a partnership that lasted over half a century, and could never be undone, even in death.

For her little brother and sister, who were still too young to articulate their grandfather's importance to them. In time, they would only have fleeting memories of Grandpa; it would be up to Rory to keep those memories strong, and to expand upon them with her own stories so that their grandfather could continue to influence their lives as he did hers. That tradition of legacy would start today.

For her step-father, who no doubt had his share of in-law anecdotes to tell, but who was really more a man of action than words. True to form, Luke soundlessly grabbed Lorelai's hand, banding their brood tightly between them as he held her. As Rory watched them, she knew, just as Richard had come to know, that her mother was now forever in good hands.

And for her mother, usually the most verbose Gilmore, but in this case, fully in agreement with Rory being the one to speak for all of them. As far as Lorelai was concerned, there could be no more fitting tribute to her father than to have Rory deliver his eulogy. For years, it was the bond between Rory and Richard that allowed the Gilmores to sustain any sense of family. It was fitting that that bond be immortalized forever with her words.

A hush fell over the crowd as Rory began to present an honorable, respectful and glowing tribute to a deserving man.

"Thank you for coming to celebrate the life of Richard Gilmore…"


End file.
